Cloth or piece feeding device for textile and other machinery



c. H. TURNER 2,481,369 CLOTH OR PIECE FEEDING DEVICE FOR TEXTILE AND OTHER MACHINERY Sept. 6, 1949.

Filed July 28, 1947 Inventor Attorney 5 Patented Sept. 6, 1949 CE. i 61":

TEXTILE AND 'OTHER MAGHI NERY ahar les fiarry Turnerigation, linem n Application July 28, 1947, Serial No. 764,080 In Great Britain June 14, 1946 Section 1;, Public Law 690, August 3, 194B Patent expires June-14, 1966 2 Claims.

I This invention relates to cloth or piece seeding devices for textile and 'othe rmacjhinery and has for its chief object to provide a list opening 'apparatus which will remove creases, folds or rolls from the selvedge or edges of pieces of material so that they can be ied flat onto an adjacent machine such as a tentering machine.

According to the invention the edge or selvedge of the material is passed between at least two adjacent blades off-set one with the other in such a manner that the material passes over one blade and then under the next or vice versa. The blades may be parallel one with another in different vertical planes with their edges overlapping and be set at any angle across the direction of feed of the material. Each blade may be spring loaded so as to be capable of allowing the material or joined pieces to pass through. The spring loading of each blade will preferably be adjustable by means of a. thumb screw or its equivalent.

The list opening device can be fitted to machines which incorporate manual operated feed to carrier mechanism or to machines which have automatic control for the feed carrier mechanism comprising an electric switch control apparatus for effecting inward and outward movement of the chain carrier rails to suit the width and side movement of material going through the machine.

The function of the electric contact box is to make and break contacts through the action of the material on the feeler, through the magnets in an autoverse or other electrical device giving forward and reverse action.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect the same will now be more fully described with refer ence to and by the aid of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a list opener and electric contact box with the cover removed.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of Figure 1 with the side wall of the electric contact box removed.

Referring to the drawings the list opening device comprises a top plate l which is hinged at 2 to a bottom plate 3. Said bottom plate 3 is provided with a transverse slot 4 or other means to attach it to the main frame work (not shown), such as the guide bars or chain rails of the machine to which the cloth is being fed. The plate 3 is attached to the frame work in such a manner as to allow for the correct feedline of the cloth of material also to allow for setting adjustments to suit the material handled.

The bottom plate 3 carries upper and lower blades 5, 6 pivoted in bosses 1', said blades having arms 8, pivotal at -9 to the upper and lower sides of theplatefi and each being spring loaded at H] and adjustable for depth and pressure by means of adjusting screws -H. 'Ihus the blades 5, 6 can be set at a predetermined minimum distance apart in their separate vertical planes. The blades 5 and B are set at a predetermined angle across the direction of feed of the cloth indicated by the arrow in Figure 1 and the top plate I is cut away at l2 so as to have its edges adjacent to the upper depending blade 5 and a slot IS in the bottom plate 3 through which the lower upstanding blade 6 projects permitting full adjustment of the blades to any degree required by the roll or curling of the feed material.

The bottom plate 3 is also provided with an edge guide I4 for the operator, and a pivotal feeler arm l5 connected through a contact box 26 to an electric feeding control (not shown) to give the correct line for feeding the material. The top plate I is also provided with an adjusting screw [6' for setting the distance between the two plates to suit various thicknesses of material. The feeler arm l5 and contact box unit I6 are used in conjunction with the plates l and 3 and list or selvedge opening blades to give full automatic control when the selvedge edge (curled or otherwise) of material is being fed on to the carrier mechanism (not shown) and controls the autoverse or electrical device which moves the carrier chain rail in or out. The feeler arm i5 and rocker arm ll isset in a predetermined position and is adjustable for both position and tension without acting upon the contacts in the box It. The make and break contacts I8 on the rocker arm I! are made to slide in the bearing 19 on the rocker arm I1, and the upper contact is spring loaded at 20 on the top side to take the thrust when the material or selvedge edge presses against the feeler arm 15 while the outside adjustable spring 2| keeps the feeler arm 15 and contacts I8 set in a position for the carrier chain rails to be running in towards the centre position of the machine the instant-the selvedge edge of material leaves the feeler arm l5. The switch 22 is used to cut out the current if it is desired to run the machine using the upper or lower guide plate and list opener without the automatic control working, and is also a safeguard against damage being done to electrical unit of machine if left in the off position when the machine is not being used.

The list opening of the device operates in the following manner, the top plate I is lifted up and the piece (not shown) fed between the blades 5, 6

and attached to the carrier mechanism of the machine concerned. The top plate I is then lowered onto the piece of material and the blades 5 and 6 adjusted as is necessary for the material. The machine is then set in motion and the curled or rolled edges arecarried forward'an'd engage the blades at the same time engaging the back edge l2 of the top plate I. Since the blades 5 and 6 and slot I3 are set at angle to the feed line of the material, the forward motion causes the curls, irrespective of the"dircti6fi afid'natii're,

to unravel so that the material passes through the plates I and 3 perfectly flat from which it passes j to the machine.

Preferably the blades 5 and 6 overlap as shown,

relative to each other and disposed at an angle to 4 the direction of feed of the material through the machine.

2. A list opening apparatus of the class described including a top plate, a bottom plate hinged at one end to said top plate, upper and lower bladesdisposed on opposite sides of said bottom-- plate, means pivotally connecting said blades to said bottom plate, and means for ad- -justing said blades relatively to each other, said blades being offset relative to each other and disposed 'at' an angle'to the direction of feed of the material through the machine.

' -CHARLES HARRY TURNER.

j HP-TREFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

-- 4 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number N ame" Date 137,169' Birch Mar. 25, 1873 1,163,565 Schwartz Dec.'7,"1915 FOREIGN PATENTS I Number Country Date 749,679 France July 27, 1933 

